Have I told you lately that I love you?

I bet you thought this post would be about my family? Oh, no....this one is all about me. One of my favorite posts from last year was when I did my favorite things from 2008. I have put together my favorites for 2009. They are in no particular order, just the order in which I uploaded the pictures into blogspot. Most of them are from 2009, but there may be one or two that have been favorites longer, but I am just now realizing they would be fun to share.

This year I ruined the really nice pastry mat I had been given. As an FYI, when you make stuffed pizza rolls do NOT cut them and stuff them with anything juicy on your pastry mat. The stains wouldn't come out, and that just weirded me out. I'm sure it would still work fine, I will certainly keep it, but I decided to get a silicone one that wouldn't move around when I was rolling away. I really like it, like I said, it's grippy on the bottom so it doesn't move when I use it, which was really my only complaint about my old one. It didn't bother me that much until I was starting to get bigger with this baby and could no longer anchor it with my tummy. I've heard the Roul'pat ones are really nice, but I got a cheaper one. If I use it a ton and end up not loving it I will try the Roul'pat.

Another thing I discovered this year was a new way to store my recipes. I have all these recipes on index cards and my recipe box was getting full and confusing, so I actually stole this idea from an episode of Jon & Kate plus 8. Kate put her recipes in a photo album book that held 4x6 index pictures. I thought that was brilliant! Now when I need them I don't get them all messy and stained, plus in a book it will stand up and make looking at the recipe a little easier. I found a set of cute ones and put my main dishes in one and everything else in another one. I got a binder to put my full page printouts in and another binder for the recipes I want to try. That way it is easier for me to find what I am looking for. I figure anything that helps me cook is worth it. I didn't spend much, I cruised the clearance section of Target until I found the books and binders I liked at a price I considered reasonable.

This is probably one of my top 3 favorites, if not my #1 favorite,

from this past year. Trader Joe's has a shaving cream, it's actually a cream not a foam or gel, and I LOVE IT! Thank you Aunna for introducing me to this. It's really not very expensive, under $4, but it is worth it and it lasts a long time. I got my first tube about 6 months ago and I use it every other day and I still haven't finished it off. I have about a third to go. It leaves me with significantly less razor burn and my legs feel so much softer and less dry than any other cream/foam I have used in the past. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you find a friend that lives near one and get them to send some to you. It is worth it, you'll be thanking me. It smells yummy too.


This is a website that I discovered this past year (by me, I mean Ryan found it and takes care of all of our ink needs). We have a laser printer and a colored ink jet printer and our toner is about a half or third of the price at any office supply store. It works just as good as the one that came with the printer and I don't feel guilty printing off a ton of stuff (have I mentioned yet that I have become quite obsessed with cooking blogs? Oops, not yet, that is farther down on my list). We have had good success with this site and been very happy with the shipping times and quality. Check it out.

These are my favorite flip flops. My sisters have been trying to get me to try Reef brand flip flops for years and I finally sucked it up and paid the $24 for flip flops, and oh, my am I so glad. This is my favorite style (I know it's not the cutest but on occasion I pick comfort over fashion instead of vice versa) because there is good support and cushion and even an arch, so when I need to walk a ton I tend to pick these and I am comfy all day long. I LOVE these flip flops. Come to think of it, I don't think I have purchased another pair since I got these in May. I may just have to order me a pair in black. Try them, your feet will thank me.


This is my FAVORITE book of this last year (hence, it being on my list of favorites). I know it's been out for a few years but if you haven't read it you are missing out. It was crazy awesome. It only took me a few hours to read and I could NOT put it down. There is a sequel, Catching Fire, and the third book is coming out in August of this year. I can't wait. I liked the sequel, but it wasn't as amazing as the first one, such is the case with most series books. It just wasn't as revolutionary as the first one was. I don't want to write what it's about because the less you know the better. It's a young adult novel, so it's clean (whoo hoo) and simply amazing....seriously, I can't describe how great it is, you just have to read it. Pick it up and enjoy. I've convinced a few people to read it and they have loved it too. I haven't met anyone who read it that didn't love it, I've even convinced Ryan to read it as soon as he finishes his current book.


This was my second favorite book of the year. It was my pick for book club and thankfully I liked it. It was my first pick of the club and I was a little nervous because I hadn't read it yet. I mostly liked it because it showed a group of strong women who made sure that they were there for each other. I don't have a ton of close friends left from growing up and so when I read the book it made me sad to think I had let so many great friendships go to the wayside simply because I am absolutely terrible at keeping in touch with people. Ask my sisters, they constantly harass me because I love talking to them all, but so rarely am I the one to call them. I'll drop everything to chat if you call me, but I am constantly putting off phone calls hoping I'll find a better time to call when my kids aren't screaming in the background (which rarely happens for more than a few minutes at a time). Anyway, I loved the idea of caring about a group of people so much that you really make an effort to stay close. I wish I was better at it, and that is what I gleaned most from reading it, I have sincerely tried to be a better friend because of reading it. It was a good read, some of the stories upset me simply because I don't agree with all of the philosophies of the women, but overall it was good.

Ah, Facebook, how I love you. I have to apologize to several of my sisters for giving them such a hard time about their addiction/love of facebook. They kept telling me to join and I would answer with a rude, "I'm not 14 anymore, thanks." I know, i know, so rude... now I am hooked. I sincerely apologize and recognize that I am officially addicted and am so glad it is on my phone. I was talking to a girl this morning who gave up facebook for Lent, personally I think she is crazy, but hey, I'd pick facebook over soda any day too. I have loved getting back in touch with friends from years past and getting to know everyone all over again. It's fun to see how much people have changed in the years since I have seen them last. I love all the daily posts which allow me to get a little insight into current lives, everyone has such fascinating lives in different ways and I have enjoyed the tidbits that have been passed on to me. I think I love most the opportunity to catch up with those that helped me through hard times, or lent support when I needed it, or simply supplied me with humor and memories that I remember often. It always broke my heart that someone who meant so much to me at one time was not in my life any longer and I no longer had the chance to tell them of the significant impact they had on my at some point in my life. Hello, my name is Amanda and I am a facebook addict and proud to be such.


My camera....oh, how I love my camera. I'm sure there are nicer ones out there, but I can't do more than zoom and push the shutter button so I love, love, love my new camera. I asked for it for Christmas last year and have fallen in love with it. I love the simplicity of it but still get pictures that turn out great. I lucked out with it, thank you Morgan and Aunna for doing such good research and letting me copy you. I did do my own research (with this one as my biased first choice) and it was quickly apparent that it was the best option for me and my neophyte photography skills. I now want a new lens and am terrified to even begin researching lenses. From what I have read it's even tougher to decide on a lens than the actual camera body. Plus Ryan's not going to love the fact that I want to spend who knows how much on a lens. I just need more zoom......to begin with.......If you want a new camera I highly recommend this one. It's bigger than a traditional point and shoot, but it's still small enough to fit in my purse. I carry my little one in my purse all the time and take this one with me any time I plan on taking pictures. Seriously, just read the reviews and you'll see why I couldn't change my mind.


So many of my favorite things are kitchen things, I figure it makes sense since the kitchen is one of the toughest places to enjoy what you are doing. I recently discovered Wilton baking pans and have tossed all of my old ones and replaced them with these. No joking, I am in serious love with them. I randomly picked a few up at Target when they went on sale in Nov 2008, but didn't actually use them until last year. I think I started with a muffin tin and cookie sheet and every time they go on sale I pick up a few more and toss out my old stuff. They cost a few more dollars than any of the other brands but they are worth it. Even Ryan, who hates when I buy new kitchen stuff, took some cookies off one day and proceeded to tell me that I am welcome to replace any and all pans with Wilton. The non stick is actually non stick and the muffin pans don't get all rusty and nasty. They go on sale around Thanksgiving each year and maybe one or two other times during the year. I use the brownie/cake pans for my casseroles and such and they clean so easy! I hate, hate, hate scrubbing pans out and having to let them "soak" for infinite amounts of time.




So, what is my most favorite of all?????? Google Reader. I love blogging and have not always been as diligent with reading others blogs because I would only get through half of my sidebar list before I had to get off the computer, so many of your blog posting would go unread, which made me so sad, I love keeping up with your lives ( I have since caught up with all of your blogs). Each time I would get on the computer I would start at the top again and then get so behind. I tried to convert to the new layout that lets you know when blogs are updated, but it drove me crazy. One of you bloggers mentioned Reader in a post and after a while I decided to take the chance and try to figure it out. Needless to say, I LOVE it. I put your blog addresses in under "Subscriptions" and then when I am sitting at school waiting for Madison to get out I open the Google app on my phone and can read all about your lives (of course, I am able to check them out on my computer too, but I am so rarely on the actual computer. I just use my handheld one I call a phone) and stay caught up. The only complaint I have about it is that I can't get private blogs to stream into Reader, so on occasion I read LONG pages worth of blog postings on the few private ones I follow. It takes a few steps longer to comment, but I was never a great commenter anyway, which sadly, is quite hypocritical since I live for comments from the rest of you.


I mentioned earlier my obsession with cooking blogs that began this year. These are my favorite blogs and a few favorite recipes that I tried this year. There was a period of time where I was great at cooking dinner most of the week. Sadly the last month or two (or longer, but who's counting?) I have fallen back into my bad/lazy habits and am hoping that I will get some energy back after the baby comes. Here are my favorites, in no particular order and the recipes my family loves from them:

My Kitchen Cafe

Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal - I make this and don't even put in the berries, it's so good by itself. I also, in pure desperation, made it with milk one day and couldn't tell a difference.

Chicken and Wild Rice soup - This is probably my favorite recipe find of the entire year. It is so incredibly wonderful. Ryan even loved it and he is such a pain to cook for.

Pumpkin Bars - These have become my go-to item when I bake for groups. They are so good.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

read her story, it is hilariously entertaining

Chicken Spaghetti - This is our other new family favorite recipe. I double it and then put 3/4 of it in freezer friendly packaging and then take it out when I crave it. It is even better the 2nd night and heats up so good from the freezer.

I haven't made much from her site, I was winding down on my cooking when I discovered it, but several friends swear by her recipes...I have many printed out to try.

Our Best Bites

Stuffed Pizza Rolls - I mentioned these earlier, but we love them. They are fun and EASY.

Blog Chef

I haven't tried any of these, but my sister says they are the best Asian recipes she has tried. She tried some of the Asian ones from My Kitchen Cafe and wasn't impressed.

To wind up my favorites of 2009 I have a short list of favorite restaurants we ate at this year. We didn't get to hit up as many this year as we have in years past, I suppose that is normal when families grow, but here it is, my favorite new places to eat in Vegas (when we have $$$$ or get taken out, most of these we were taken to for various reasons, lest you think we can afford this type of dining on a regular basis
):

Olives

Get the Steak....seriously, it was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The entire dinner was amazing, all the dishes ordered were awesome, but the steak kicks some butt.

Joe's Stone Crab

They have this mayo based dipping sauce that is incredible on the seafood.

Prime Steakhouse

The seafood tower appetizer was insane, and so wonderful, as were the sauces for the steaks. I love a great sauce.

Mesa Grill

Alyssa came to town and she and I went here and I still cannot stop thinking about how wonderful my food was. I got the Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale and the Pork Tenderloin.....it was divine, and I am not a big Bobby Flay fan. I highly recommend each of those items.

Serendipity 3

We used to have to go to NYC to satisfy our Serendipity cravings, but now whenever we have company (and I can convince Ryan to go) we take the opportunity to enjoy The Strip on the outdoor patio while dining on amazing desserts. Their food is also incredible, try the Mac & Cheese, yum.

I think that is about it....my favorites from 2009. It is fun to revisit all these things. Welcome 2010....we shall visit you in a year.

Madison lost her teeth.....

I keep telling her that is she doesn't brush she is going to lose them all.....How terrible is that! Actually I told her that she will lose all of them but she still better brush daily.

She was so excited, her bottom front two teeth had been loose for a few weeks and she had been doing all she could to speed up the process of losing them. She was VERY excited to get money. The Tooth Fairy was very generous and gave her $2 per tooth. Mommy was very generous and took her to the Dollar Store for toys (if I had taken her to Target she would have wanted the most expensive toy there and expected me to buy it for her. We were much safer going to the Dollar Store and picking out a few things).

She lost her first one on December 1, 2009 and her second about a week later. The fact that we got a picture for her first one was a miracle, there is no picture for the 2nd lost tooth.....

Ryan had to pull her teeth, I tried to watch but I started getting queasy (because I'm just lucky like that, there is more than one reason I am not a doctor or nurse) and so I sat in the chair in our room and watched/listened from a distance, cheering them on and occasionally offering up a helpful comment.

Her new teeth have almost completely grown in, semi-straight to boot. The dentist we go to already told us to start saving for braces....poor girl got my teeth, I had braces for 2 1/2 years, and I am grateful for every day of them. I love straight teeth. I am planning on her big girl teeth to crowd once they all start coming in, until then I am grateful for her not looking too goofy.

I can't believe how grown up she is. It just doesn't seem possible that I have a kid who is old enough to be losing teeth, or going to kindergarten, or any of those milestones that force you to realize how much time has passed.

Pregnancy 101

I only have a few weeks left to go this pregnancy, but it feels like it will never end! To commemorate the end of it I have decided to dedicate a blog posting to all of my *favorite* parts of pregnancy.

***As I disclaimer, I really don't have that horrible of pregnancies, but they are still pregnancies. I am eternally grateful that we are able to have children and I have very little to complain about, yet I choose to anyway. This posting is intended for entertainment purposes only, at this stage in the game I need all the entertainment I can get.

I know I'm pregnant when.....

....I know my pharmacist on a first name basis - if my insurance would allow me to get more than 6 days of Zofran at a time I might miss out on getting to know my pharmacist so well. It is worth it, Zofran saves me.

....sharp pains in random places are considered normal. As is having my limbs fall asleep WHILE I'M USING THEM.

....I have every pillow in the house on my bed, and still find the need to buy more, but still can't get comfortable.

....I can find my way to the bathroom in the dark, while still half asleep. I think my personal record is 5 times in a 3 hour period of time. I dream of a time when I can sleep an entire night again without having to get up at least once.

....I get used to not having any energy and feeling exhausted at all times during the day but still can't sleep at night.

....I am constantly out of breath even when I am SITTING.

....I look chubby for about 6 months and then I finally start getting looks from people I see everyday that say to me "ah, she's not fat, she's pregnant."

....I crave cereal like it is going out of style. I rarely eat cereal, but when I am pregnant I tend to survive on it. I also have to have a banana every day and eat oranges like crazy for about 2 months.

What can I absolutely not deal with?

The absolute worst part of pregnancy for me is the constant itching. My body itches like crazy and I ended up with PUPPPS with Madison. It was awful. I ended up not finding anything that would take away the itching, so at night before I went to bed I would get 5 bags of ice and use that to try and get rid of enough of the itching long enough to fall asleep. It wasn't as bad with Hunter but with this little one it started early. My Dr. told me to take Benedryl at night before bed and an allergy pill during the day, so that is what I do. The Benedryl screws up my sleeping patterns, but it is the only way I have found that I can lay still long enough to fall asleep. The problem is that I end up waking up grumpy because I don't REM like I am supposed to. Double edge sword......I'm grumpy either way.

What Changed?

You know how every woman has something(s) change after being pregnant, these are mine.

• 
  Headaches - I don't think I ever had a real headache until I got pregnant with my first. I had one the entire first trimester and after that I had to have a coke every day before 2:30 in the afternoon or I could not drive home from work. I have had a headache every day of my life since that. I have gone to the Dr to see if I could figure out a way to relieve them but none of the prescriptions worked. I had sinus surgery a little over a year ago, which helped, it took the edge off, but I still rely on Excederine Migraine (which makes me sick to my stomach, but does work when I get to the point of no return) and/or coke. I pretty much have a coke every day or else I can't function. It's so fun.....
• Allergies - I now have allergies. I never did until my first pregnancy. How weird is that???? Thankfully they are not too bad and I don't have to take stuff every day, but they are still annoying.
• My hair - it used to be naturally white-blond and I was so proud of the fact that I had never dyed it and still had people come up to me and ask what color I used on it. No longer.....After Madison it got so ashy and finally I succumbed to coloring it. It's still not as light as it once was, but I have way more fun with it now. I even started putting darker colors into it, which I LOVE. Blond is blond, it gets old.

Myths of pregnancy

When I was first pregnant I heard all these myths and really thought they were true. I have since been set straight. Now, I do realize that this list applies to me and not necessarily everyone out there. I'm just ticked that they were myths for me.

• The pregnancy "glow" - this glow for me includes the following: pale pasty skin, usually broken out, flat dull hair, and the look of long illness under my eyes. It's pretty great......
• Thick nails - this is crap. Mine peel and I usually have a few broken ones on each hand. I keep my nails shorter when I am pregnant than when I am not. Go figure.....
• This is my favorite - "if you nurse you'll lose all of your weight easily." This is pure and utter CRAP and I hate (not really, but kinda) all of my friends that it does apply to. I look 5 months pregnant until I am about 10 months post partum and then it finally, somewhat, comes off. And yes, I do work out like crazy after the Dr okays it. I don't even eat any more than I usually do, heck, usually I eat less because I don't have time for it. Leaving the hospital in maternity clothes, as comfortable as they are, is miserable. Having to wear them for weeks and weeks after the baby comes is worse. The fact that I left the hospital only 6 pounds lighter after having a 7 1/2 pound baby REALLY irks me. Ugh.....I shouldn't have gotten started.....

Nesting:

Ah, the best part of pregnancy. Is that weird of me to love the nesting portion? I love, love, LOVE getting so much done. I tend to get through my to-do list of projects and cleaning while I am preggers. I have cleaned out every closet in the house, taken carloads of things to goodwill, finished off a bunch of half-completed projects in my project room, and cleaned out all of my cupboards in the kitchen and bathrooms. It has been wonderful, I love the feeling of completing something and marking off an item on my internal to-do list.

There are some things that I truly do love about pregnancy. There is nothing quite as amazing as having a person grow inside you. I love feeling the baby move (even when they hurt me). I mostly love having a valid excuse to get out of certain things; mostly picking up toys off the floor, the fact that I cannot bend over has come in handy on family cleaning days. My house is in a constant state of disaster because I simply cannot move as I usually do, so it takes much longer to get anything done and I have gotten to the point of not caring. If you come to my house and it's a mess I do not apologize. In 4 months or so I will be able to keep up with it again, but until then watch where you step, there may be a toy beneath your foot. If it bothers you, you are more than welcome to come clean any time. I'll even cheer you on. I do the best I can.

UFC 106

To commemorate UFC 110, which is currently being watched in my house, I thought it appropriate to blog about 106, which we attended as part of Ryan's Christmas present from me. (Isn't it great that I gave a gift that included a gift for me???? I'm smart like that.)

There isn't much to write about; the fights were good, we got a night off of putting the kids to bed and we got to spend time together. It doesn't get much better than that.

We did end up sitting next to the nicest people. On Ryan's left was a dad and his son here in Las Vegas for the son's birthday. His present for his 18th was a trip to see the fights, we thought that was pretty cool. The two guys next to me were fun because they were rooting for Ortiz and we rooted for Griffin, that always makes for a fun fight.

Ortiz vs. Griffin starting off the fight

UFC 109:

We didn't get any pictures, but we also went to UFC 109 as Ryan's birthday/Valentine's present and I once again *forced* him to take me as his +1. I was a trooper, 8 months pregnant and sitting in the seats with tiny aisles and no leg room. I did commandeer the aisle seat which helped significantly with leg cramping. The funniest, and most annoying, part of the fights were that we spend the entire night standing up and sitting down for potty breaks. Oh, no, I, the only 8 month pregnant person on the row, was not the one annoying everyone. 2 *gentlemen* (and I use the term loosely) got up and came back about every 10 minutes. I think they only sat through 1 fight without making the ENTIRE row get up to let them pass. It got sooooo old. They went to the bathroom, or maybe on beer runs, more than I did! (**as a dislcaimer, I did NOT go on any beer runs, FYI) The poor guys behind us got so annoyed because we all kept blocking their view. What were we supposed to do?????

At least Couture won his fight, Ryan has been wanting to see him for a long time. That made it all worth it, all 6 hours of squats.

***yes, I was pregnant in our picture, in case any of you were wondering. I think I was almost 6 months if I calculate correctly.

Halloween 2009

Halloween Festivities

Usually we have so many fun festivities in the month of October that we hardly sit down, but it seemed that all of our usual places were not doing their special kid's activities due to "the economy." That was their excuse anyway. It made me so sad and it really did make a difference for our month. At least I wasn't as exhausted as I usually am at the end.

Madison's Elementary School had a Halloween Parade, it was the cutest thing ever! All of the classes lined up and they marched around the entire playground and then all got to go back to class for their class party. Parent's were invited to watch and I stayed and helped out in her classroom after the parade. It was so cute to see all the kids in their costumes walking in a straight line. One of the dad's of Madison's classmate dressed up like Elmo, it was so cute and the kids got a HUGE kick out of it. Apparently Elmo still rocks in the kindergarten circle....


The kids classes all lined up according to age and Madison's class got outside first so they got to be the entire school's line leader. Needless to say, they loved that. All the kids looked so adorable and really liked being able to wear their costumes to school.


I couldn't hold the kid's attention very long but I was able to snap a quick picture of Madison with some of her friends. They had to stay in line so I got the ones right in front of her and behind her. I didn't want her teacher to put me in the Uh-oh chair once we got back to the classroom! It was fun and I am so glad I got to go. It was really, really windy and a little cold, but that didn't faze the kiddies, they had fun and hardly noticed the weather. Us parents, on the other hand....

Halloween Night

For whatever reason (I can't honestly remember because it has been so long) I didn't get that many pictures from this last Halloween. I do like the ones I got, but usually I snap quite a bit more. Maybe I was sick that day.......That sounds good, I think I will use that as my excuse, it is valid as I was only 4 months pregnant and my "morning" sickness hadn't gone away yet.

For Halloween this year Madison wanted to be Minnie Mouse. I thought she looked adorable in her costume! We let her pick out whatever she wants to wear and she stuck pretty close to her princesses theme. She was Sleeping Beauty last year and Snow White the year before. My favorite was 3 years ago when she was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. She was the cutest Dorothy ever! (I'm only a little biased....)

She loves dressing up, she does it ALOT, but dressing up and then getting treats is an entirely different story. Mostly she loved going around to all the cars at Trunk-or-Treat and seeing all of her friends dressed up as well. This was the first year that she really got in to trick-or-treating and wasn't too shy asking for candy and saying thank you. I think she was able to circulate the parking lot 3 times by the time we told her it was time to go. We had a great time and look forward to what she decides to be next year.




Hunter was a different story altogether. He decided to be grumpy that day and did NOT want us to put his outfit on. For some reason he did not like his cowboy vest and had a tantrum when I tried to put his hat on him. The picture on the left is of him rolling around on the floor in an attempt to keep me from putting his vest on. Nice, huh....

I think every picture I got of him he is grabbing his hat to take it off. After I got a few pictures I gave up and he just hung out in his chaps and white shirt. I figured that he wouldn't really remember this Halloween anyway and I had bigger battles in life to fight with him. I got my favorite picture EVER of him, so I was satisfied.

He did love eating the candy, I gave him a roll of smarties and he was in heaven. I have a rule of 1 piece of candy a day for a week at Halloween and then the candy gets sent to Ryan's work for them to enjoy. I don't like candy and I almost never give it to my kids. I let them have 3 candies at trunk-or-treat and that is it. I may be a "mean mom" but I just can't handle the tantrums that result from them eating candy.

We got the requisite pictures of the kids with Mom and Dad. I looked horrible, and I really didn't care. Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure it was a bad day in terms of sickness. I try really hard to not go out in public looking like a complete slob, especially when I feel so crappy inside.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

***Author's note: In an effort to actually catch up on the fun things we did last year I made a list of all I want to blog about. I am going to try and go in order, we shall see how it goes.......Here is item one on the chronological list.

As I am quite anxious to actually figure out Photoshop for digital scrapbooking, I have gone ahead and made the scrapbook pages for the event. Prepare to see many of these in future postings. I figure that since I have limited time I will combine both and hopefully catch up on everything. Here's hoping......

The Pumpkin Patch is one of the kid's favorite things to do each year. Now, In Las Vegas the pumpkin patch is a little different than pumpkin patches in other states. First off, it is located in the parking lot of a casino, yep, it doesn't get more "Vegas" than that (it does have hay for ambiance and picked pumpkins to purchase, therefore making it a "Pumpkin Patch" of sorts).

Second, there are rides for the kids--go figure. It has a huge slide, a pirate ship, buckets that spin (similar to the teacups at Disneyland), swings, a "train" that goes around the pumpkin patch, a trampoline for the older kids and a petting zoo. The kids love it and it really is fun for everyone.

We have discovered that if you make reservations to go before 2 pm and get at least 10 paying kids together it is only $5 per kid for an hour unlimited. We took Madison one year at night so she could go with her daddy and we spent $20 in about 20 minutes, so needless to say, we love going with other mom's and kids.

***I think if you click on the picture it will go to full screen so you can see the pictures better and read the text. Who knows if it will work correctly though.....when I tested it I couldn't get it to, but honestly, nothing technological works for me. There is a reason I did not graduate in Computer Sciences, or engineering, or anything technologically related. It has worked in the past though, so good luck!

I'm sorry, do people actually wear these???? Ewww...

So, I saw these at Dillard's today and couldn't believe it. Honestly, do people actually wear these? Thankfully I haven't seen them worn yet, I am not looking forward to this new fashion trend appearing.

What do you think? Is it just me, or are they creepy looking to the rest of you too?????

Dear Mom's, have you seen this?

All I can say is, I am so there!!! A friend of mine (thank you, Cori) called and verified that YES, they will accept broken items and items missing pieces. We have used our port-a-crib so much it will no longer stay up on the sides and our stroller is missing the tray (thanks to the airlines). It will be nice to get 25% off of items we need anyway.

Details are on their website. Happy shopping!

The games we play

My kids never seem to surprise me with their creativity and ideas for new fun games. This game has been going on in my home for almost a year now. It used to be that Mads would have to convince Hunter to play, but now he goes and gets buckets for both of them and puts Madison's on her head for her. Sometimes she is just not in the mood, but he is quite persistent. I snagged these pictures a few months ago while I was getting ready for the day. These kids continually crack me up. Madison is so gentle with Hunter and he slams into her full force. At least it is not the other way around!

It reminds me of what Ryan likes to quote REGULARLY; he was watching some show without me and he couldn't stop laughing when the parents on the show were talking to some of their friends and they said how they noticed that their kids enjoyed playing with the boxes that their presents/toys came in more than they enjoyed the toy. So the parents decided to get their kids some boxes for a birthday or something. To quote Ryan, the show said "The problem was we decided to put the boxes in gift bags and now the kids aren't interested in boxes anymore, they now play with the gift bag instead." I thought that was quite apropos for this scenario. Seriously, they dump out their toys to play with the buckets they are stored in....go figure.